XXXXX XXXXXX MASSACHUSETTS MUNICIPALS FUND
FORM OF
DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
October 8, 1998
CFBDS, Inc.
00 Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Dear Sirs:
This is to confirm that, in consideration of the agreements
hereinafter contained, the above-named investment company (the "Fund")
has agreed that you shall be, for the period of this Agreement, the non-
exclusive principal underwriter and distributor of shares of the Fund
and each Series of the Fund set forth on Exhibit A hereto, as such
Exhibit may be revised from time to time (each, including any shares of
the Fund not designated by series, a "Series"). For purposes of this
Agreement, the term "Shares" shall mean shares of the each Series, or
one or more Series, as the context may require.
1. Services as Principal Underwriter and Distributor
1.1 You will act as agent for the distribution of Shares
covered by, and in accordance with, the registration statement,
prospectus and statement of additional information then in effect under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and will
transmit or cause to be transmitted promptly any orders received by you
or those with whom you have sales or servicing agreements for purchase
or redemption of Shares to the Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent
for the Fund of which the Fund has notified you in writing.
1.2 You agree to use your best efforts to solicit orders
for the sale of Shares. It is contemplated that you will enter into
sales or servicing agreements with registered securities brokers and
banks and into servicing agreements with financial institutions and
other industry professionals, such as investment advisers, accountants
and estate planning firms. In entering into such agreements, you will
act only on your own behalf as principal underwriter and distributor.
You will not be responsible for making any distribution plan or service
fee payments pursuant to any plans the Fund may adopt or agreements it
may enter into.
1.3 You shall act as the non-exclusive principal
underwriter and distributor of Shares in compliance with all applicable
laws, rules, and regulations, including, without limitation, all rules
and regulations made or adopted from time to time by the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC") pursuant to the 1933 Act or the 1940
Act or by any securities association registered under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
1.4 Whenever in their judgment such action is warranted
for any reason, including, without limitation, market, economic or
political conditions, the Fund's officers may decline to accept any
orders for, or make any sales of, any Shares until such time as those
officers deem it advisable to accept such orders and to make such sales
and the Fund shall advise you promptly of such determination.
2. Duties of the Fund
2.1 The Fund agrees to pay all costs and expenses in
connection with the registration of Shares under the 1933 Act, and all
expenses in connection with maintaining facilities for the issue and
transfer of Shares and for supplying information, prices and other data
to be furnished by the Fund hereunder, and all expenses in connection
with the preparation and printing of the Fund's prospectuses and
statements of additional information for regulatory purposes and for
distribution to shareholders; provided however, that nothing contained
herein shall be deemed to require the Fund to pay any costs of
advertising or marketing the sale of Shares.
2.2 The Fund agrees to execute any and all documents and
to furnish any and all information and otherwise to take any other
actions that may be reasonably necessary in the discretion of the Fund's
officers in connection with the qualification of Shares for sale in such
states and other U.S. jurisdictions as the Fund may approve and
designate to you from time to time, and the Fund agrees to pay all
expenses that may be incurred in connection with such qualification.
You shall pay all expenses connected with your own qualification as a
securities broker or dealer under state or Federal laws and, except as
otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, all other expenses
incurred by you in connection with the sale of Shares as contemplated in
this Agreement.
2.3 The Fund shall furnish you from time to time, for use
in connection with the sale of Shares, such information reports with
respect to the Fund or any relevant Series and the Shares as you may
reasonably request, all of which shall be signed by one or more of the
Fund's duly authorized officers; and the Fund warrants that the
statements contained in any such reports, when so signed by the Fund's
officers, shall be true and correct. The Fund also shall furnish you
upon request with (a) the reports of the annual audits of the financial
statements of the Fund for each Series made by independent certified
public accountants retained by the Fund for such purpose; (b) semi-
annual unaudited financial statements pertaining to each Series; (c)
quarterly earnings statements prepared by the Fund for any Series; (d) a
monthly itemized list of the securities in each Series' portfolio; (e)
monthly balance sheets as soon as practicable after the end of each
month; (f) the current net asset value and offering price per share
for each Series on each day such net asset value is computed and (g)
from time to time such additional information regarding the financial
condition of each Series of the Fund as you may reasonably request.
3. Representations and Warranties
The Fund represents to you that all registration statements,
prospectuses and statements of additional information filed by the Fund
with the SEC under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act with respect to the
Shares have been prepared in conformity with the requirements of said
Acts and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. As used in
this Agreement, the terms "registration statement", "prospectus" and
"statement of additional information" shall mean any registration
statement, prospectus and statement of additional information filed by
the Fund with the SEC and any amendments and supplements thereto filed
by the Fund with the SEC. The Fund represents and warrants to you that
any such registration statement, prospectus and statement of additional
information, when such registration statement becomes effective and as
such prospectus and statement of additional information are amended and
supplemented, includes at the time of such effectiveness, amendment or
supplement all statements required to be contained therein in
conformance with the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act and the rules and
regulations of the SEC; that all statements of material fact contained
in any registration statement, prospectus or statement of additional
information will be true and correct when such registration statement
becomes effective; and that neither any registration statement nor any
prospectus or statement of additional information when such registration
statement becomes effective will include an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading to a
purchaser of the Fund's Shares. The Fund may, but shall not be
obligated to, propose from time to time such amendment or amendments to
any registration statement and such supplement or supplements to any
prospectus or statement of additional information as, in the light of
future developments, may, in the opinion of the Fund, be necessary or
advisable. If the Fund shall not propose such amendment or amendments
and/or supplement or supplements within fifteen days after receipt by
the Fund of a written request from you to do so, you may, at your
option, terminate this Agreement or decline to make offers of the Fund's
Shares until such amendments are made. The Fund shall not file any
amendment to any registration statement or supplement to any prospectus
or statement of additional information without giving you reasonable
notice thereof in advance; provided, however, that nothing contained in
this Agreement shall in any way limit the Fund's right to file at any
time such amendments to any registration statement and/or supplements to
any prospectus or statement of additional information, of whatever
character, as the Fund may deem advisable, such right being in all
respects absolute and unconditional.
4. Indemnification
4.1 The Fund authorizes you to use any prospectus or
statement of additional information furnished by the Fund from time to
time, in connection with the sale of Shares. The Fund agrees to
indemnify, defend and hold you, your several officers and directors, and
any person who controls you within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933
Act, free and harmless from and against any and all claims, demands,
liabilities and expenses (including the cost of investigating or
defending such claims, demands or liabilities and any such counsel fees
incurred in connection therewith) which you, your officers and
directors, or any such controlling person, may incur under the 1933 Act
or under common law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon any
untrue statement, or alleged untrue statement, of a material fact
contained in any registration statement, any prospectus or any statement
of additional information or arising out of or based upon any omission,
or alleged omission, to state a material fact required to be stated in
any registration statement, any prospectus or any statement of
additional information or necessary to make the statements in any of
them not misleading; provided, however, that the Fund's agreement to
indemnify you, your officers or directors, and any such controlling
person shall not be deemed to cover any claims, demands, liabilities or
expenses arising out of any statements or representations made by you or
your representatives or agents other than such statements and
representations as are contained in any prospectus or statement of
additional information and in such financial and other statements as are
furnished to you pursuant to paragraph 2.3 of this Agreement; and
further provided that the Fund's agreement to indemnify you and the
Fund's representations and warranties herein before set forth in
paragraph 3 of this Agreement shall not be deemed to cover any liability
to the Fund or its shareholders to which you would otherwise be subject
by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the
performance of your duties, or by reason of your reckless disregard of
your obligations and duties under this Agreement. The Fund's agreement
to indemnify you, your officers and directors, and any such controlling
person, as aforesaid, is expressly conditioned upon the Fund's being
notified of any action brought against you, your officers or directors,
or any such controlling person, such notification to be given by letter
or by telegram addressed to the Fund at its principal office in New
York, New York and sent to the Fund by the person against whom such
action is brought, within ten days after the summons or other first
legal process shall have been served. The failure so to notify the Fund
of any such action shall not relieve the Fund from any liability that
the Fund may have to the person against whom such action is brought by
reason of any such untrue, or alleged untrue, statement or omission, or
alleged omission, otherwise than on account of the Fund's indemnity
agreement contained in this paragraph 4.1. The Fund will be entitled to
assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any such claim, demand
or liability, but, in such case, such defense shall be conducted by
counsel of good standing chosen by the Fund. In the event the Fund
elects to assume the defense of any such suit and retains counsel of
good standing, the defendant or defendants in such suit shall bear the
fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by any of them; but
if the Fund does not elect to assume the defense of any such suit, the
Fund will reimburse you, your officers and directors, or the controlling
person or persons named as defendant or defendants in such suit, for the
reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by you or them.
The Fund's indemnification agreement contained in this paragraph 4.1 and
the Fund's representations and warranties in this Agreement shall remain
operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation
made by or on behalf of you, your officers and directors, or any
controlling person, and shall survive the delivery of any of the Fund's
Shares. This agreement of indemnity will inure exclusively to your
benefit, to the benefit of your several officers and directors, and
their respective estates, and to the benefit of the controlling persons
and their successors. The Fund agrees to notify you promptly of the
commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Fund or any of
its officers or Board members in connection with the issuance and sale
of any of the Fund's Shares.
4.2 You agree to indemnify, defend and hold the Fund, its
several officers and Board members, and any person who controls the Fund
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, free and harmless from
and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and expenses
(including the costs of investigating or defending such claims, demands
or liabilities and any counsel fees incurred in connection therewith)
that the Fund, its officers or Board members or any such controlling
person may incur under the 1933 Act, or under common law or otherwise,
but only to the extent that such liability or expense incurred by the
Fund, its officers or Board members, or such controlling person
resulting from such claims or demands shall arise out of or be based
upon any untrue, or alleged untrue, statement of a material fact
contained in information furnished in writing by you to the Fund and
used in the answers to any of the items of the registration statement or
in the corresponding statements made in the prospectus or statement of
additional information, or shall arise out of or be based upon any
omission, or alleged omission, to state a material fact in connection
with such information furnished in writing by you to the Fund and
required to be stated in such answers or necessary to make such
information not misleading. Your agreement to indemnify the Fund, its
officers or Board members, and any such controlling person, as
aforesaid, is expressly conditioned upon your being notified of any
action brought against the Fund, its officers or Board members, or any
such controlling person, such notification to be given by letter or
telegram addressed to you at your principal office in Boston,
Massachusetts and sent to you by the person against whom such action is
brought, within ten days after the summons or other first legal process
shall have been served. You shall have the right to control the defense
of such action, with counsel of your own choosing, satisfactory to the
Fund, if such action is based solely upon such alleged misstatement or
omission on your part or with the Fund's consent, and in any event the
Fund, its officers or Board members or such controlling person shall
each have the right to participate in the defense or preparation of the
defense of any such action with counsel of its own choosing reasonably
acceptable to you but shall not have the right to settle any such action
without your consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld. The
failure to so notify you of any such action shall not relieve you from
any liability that you may have to the Fund, its officers or Board
members, or to such controlling person by reason of any such untrue, or
alleged untrue, statement or omission, or alleged omission, otherwise
than on account of your indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph
4.2. You agree to notify the Fund promptly of the commencement of any
litigation or proceedings against you or any of your officers or
directors in connection with the issuance and sale of any of the Fund's
Shares.
5. Effectiveness of Registration
No Shares shall be offered by either you or the Fund under any of
the provisions of this Agreement and no orders for the purchase or sale
of such Shares under this Agreement shall be accepted by the Fund if and
so long as the effectiveness of the registration statement then in
effect or any necessary amendments thereto shall be suspended under any
of the provisions of the 1933 Act, or if and so long as a current
prospectus as required by Section 5(b) (2) of the 1933 Act is not on
file with the SEC; provided, however, that nothing contained in this
paragraph 5 shall in any way restrict or have any application to or
bearing upon the Fund's obligation to repurchase its Shares from any
shareholder in accordance with the provisions of the Fund's prospectus,
statement of additional information or charter documents, as amended
from time to time.
6. Offering Price
Shares of any class of any Series of the Fund offered for sale by
you shall be offered for sale at a price per share (the "offering
price") equal to (a) their net asset value (determined in the manner
set forth in the Fund's charter documents and the then-current
prospectus and statement of additional information) plus (b) a sales
charge, if applicable, which shall be the percentage of the offering
price of such Shares as set forth in the Fund's then-current prospectus
relating to such Series. In addition to or in lieu of any sales charge
applicable at the time of sale, Shares of any class of any Series of the
Fund offered for sale by you may be subject to a contingent deferred
sales charge as set forth in the Fund's then-current prospectus and
statement of additional information. You shall be entitled to receive
any sales charge levied at the time of sale in respect of the Shares
without remitting any portion to the Fund. Any payments to a broker or
dealer through whom you sell Shares shall be governed by a separate
agreement between you and such broker or dealer and the Fund's then-
current prospectus and statement of additional information. Any
payments to any provider of services to you shall be governed by a
separate agreement between you and such service provider.
7. Notice to You
The Fund agrees to advise you immediately in writing:
(a) of any request by the SEC for
amendments to the registration statement,
prospectus or statement of additional
information then in effect or for additional
information;
(b) in the event of the issuance by
the SEC of any stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the registration statement,
prospectus or statement of additional
information then in effect or the initiation
of any proceeding for that purpose;
(c) of the happening of any event that
makes untrue any statement of a material fact
made in the registration statement,
prospectus or statement of additional
information then in effect or that requires
the making of a change in such registration
statement, prospectus or statement of
additional information in order to make the
statements therein not misleading; and
(d) of all actions of the SEC with
respect to any amendment to the registration
statement, or any supplement to the
prospectus or statement of additional
information which may from time to time be
filed with the SEC.
8. Term of the Agreement
This Agreement shall become effective on the date hereof, shall
have an initial term of one year from the date hereof, and shall
continue for successive annual periods thereafter so long as such
continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (a) the Fund's
Board or (b) by a vote of a majority (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the
Fund's outstanding voting securities, provided that in either event the
continuance is also approved by a majority of the Board members of the
Fund who are not interested persons (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of any
party to this Agreement, by vote cast in person at a meeting called for
the purpose of voting on such approval. This Agreement is terminable
with or without cause, without penalty, on 60 days' notice by the Fund's
Board or by vote of holders of a majority of the relevant Series
outstanding voting securities, or on 90 days' notice by you. This
Agreement will also terminate automatically, as to the relevant Series,
in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act and the rules
and regulations thereunder).
9. Arbitration
Any claim, controversy, dispute or deadlock arising under
this Agreement (collectively, a "Dispute") shall be settled by
arbitration administered under the rules of the American Arbitration
Association ("AAA") in New York, New York. Any arbitration and award
of the arbitrators, or a majority of them, shall be final and the
judgment upon the award rendered may be entered in any state or federal
court having jurisdiction. No punitive damages are to be awarded.
10. Miscellaneous
So long as you act as a principal underwriter and distributor of
Shares, you shall not perform any services for any entity other than
investment companies advised or administered by Citigroup Inc. or its
subsidiaries. The Fund recognizes that the persons employed by you to
assist in the performance of your duties under this Agreement may not
devote their full time to such service and nothing contained in this
Agreement shall be deemed to limit or restrict the persons employed by
you or any of your affiliates right to engage in and devote time and
attention to other businesses or to render services of whatever kind or
nature, provided, however, that in conducting such business or rendering
such services your employees and affiliates would take reasonable steps
to assure that the other parties involved are put on notice as to the
legal entity with which they are dealing. This Agreement and the terms
and conditions set forth herein shall be governed by, and construed in
accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without giving effect
to its conflict of interest principles.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, kindly
indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing and returning to
us the enclosed copy, whereupon this Agreement will become binding on
you.
Very truly yours,
XXXXX XXXXXX MASSACHUSETTS
MUNICIPALS FUND
By: _____________________
Authorized Officer
Accepted:
CFBDS, INC.
By: __________________________
Authorized Officer
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